Mind Over Medicine: 10 Soul Searching Tips

Beth Bielat

Women's Health / / April 13, 2015

I was lucky enough to have a few hours this Sunday to stay home, cook and prepare for a busy week. I threw on the TV for some mindless entertainment and clicked on to a PBS special with M.D, Dr. Lissa Rankin, best-selling author of "Mind Over Medicine".... so much for mindlessness. I was riveted to the TV, but only caught part of the show. I was so intrigued by what I was hearing that I immediately ordered a copy of “Mind Over Medicine”, luckily I saw enough for some great take-away lessons to share with you...

While watching Dr. Rankin on PBS I was reminded that people often live way too much of their lives in a "stress response" mindset rather than thinking in a positive "relaxation response" manor. This made me immediately think of the expression "don't sweat the small stuff!", because most of the time a majority of your daily stressors can be avoided. By finding ways to eliminate unnecessary stress throughout your day you will be able to spend more time in a positive state of mind, enjoying life, which will help you live longer and heal many ailments.

Practicing meditation and thinking positively will help change and shape the way you think, which is equally as important for your health as going for an annual check-up and testing. "YOUR health is YOUR business", says Dr. Rankin. It is YOUR responsibility, not just your physicians, to care for our body and MIND.

"What does my mind and body need in order to heal?", is a question Dr. Rankin says we all should be asking ourselves. Whether you are ill or just not feeling like you are living at your best optimal health and potential, some soul searching tips to think about are:

Beth Bielat has spent 35 years as a fitness professional. She is the fitness director for Joan Lunden’s Camp Reveille as well as the fitness professional and manager at the Ocean reef Club in Key Largo, FL. Beth specializes in life coaching, martial arts, self-defense, yoga, tai chi, and she is a certified nutritional councilor. Beth founded the LifeBreath Institute and she is an author and speaker on health, nutrition, and fitness. Beth is also a mom, grandmother, devoted wife, outdoor enthusiast including cycling, hiking, canoeing, backpacking and swimming, healthy cooking devotee and a strong believer in spirituality and faith.